Park&K Public Affairs provides local and federal government relations and strategic communications guidance to clients from regional offices in Washington, DC, Florida, New York, Puerto Rico, and Texas as well as through GovNet,TM Park&K’s unique proprietary nationwide network of top-tier government relations and lobbying professionals. As a boutique firm, we deliver bespoke services and individual attention. Every project we undertake is led by a Park&K principal from start to finish.
About Us
Local Issues: Local Advice
Our seasoned public relations professionals based in New York City, Miami, Fort Lauderdale & Dallas each have close relationships and experience working in local government. We lead clients to success in legislative and budget initiatives as well as providing guidance for strategic growth, procurements and entry into government business opportunities. We combine traditionals “shoeleather’ lobbying practices with modern communications savvy and overall project management to help clients reach their objectives. Our team has developed particular expertise with institutional, educational and not-for-profit clients.
Your Voice in Washington, DC
From our offices on K street, Park&K represents marquee clients in Washington including some of the country’s top cultural institutions, national trade associations, private business entities and municipalities. Throughout changing Administrations, we provide legislative analysis, visibility, and advocacy for policy and procurement on the Hill. With the 117th Congress and new Administration in 2021, we are even better positioned to bring your issues to decision makers. Our DC team maintains close relationships with key Members of Congress, committee staff, and executive agency decision makers. Our team has experience having served in senior levels of the Obama Administration, including the Department of Commerce, and we are currently helping several clients navigate CARES initiatives for economic development funds through the EDA.
Government Relations and Guidance in Puerto Rico
Park&K has offices in San Juan and well-established ties throughout the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Our client initiatives have created strong relationships with the most senior members of government from municipal offices to the Office of the Governor and Executive Agencies. Our firm is currently managing major disaster recovery projects and interacting with Cabinet Officers and project managers responsible for the approval and distribution of recovery funds as well as the CDBG-DR program. Park&K is well positioned to assist clients who seek to develop business in Puerto Rico as well as government agencies and businesses in Puerto Rico seeking guidance and representation in Washington, DC.
GovNetTM was created by Park&K to provide clients an effective and flexible nationwide government relations platform geared to provide quick response for short- or long-term engagements in every state and at every level of government. Over the past 18 years, we have vetted, retained, and managed lobbying teams to assist clients on legislative issues as well as complicated procurement initiatives in dozens of cities, counties, and states across the country.
Our Team
Jennifer Manley
Jennifer Manley is the co-founder and President of Park&K Public Affairs. She is a seasoned public relations professional with a diverse range of experience and expertise in government relations, communications, community engagement and strategic consulting. From the NYC office, she helps clients navigate New York City government on policy, legislative and budget initiatives. She also works closely with the Federal lobbying team at Park&K to advance clients’ needs on Capitol Hill. Jen has worked in NYC public affairs for over 15 years, including as a reporter and editor, before joining the Mayoral Administration of Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, overseeing community affairs in the borough of Queens. She also spent four years in-house at the Queens library, where she managed external affairs for the one of the busiest public libraries in the nation. Jen has been working as an advisory to corporate and non-profit clients since 2015, first with Davidoff Hutcher & Citron LLP, a top 10 NYC firm, then as Managing Director for the NYC office of Prime Strategies, before founding Park&K in 2019. She studied at American University in Washington, DC and Lyndon State College in VT and holds a BA in Journalism. She proudly calls Brooklyn home.
New York City • Washington DC • San Juan
Russ Klenet
Russ Klenet is the co-founder and Managing Director of Park&K Public Affairs. Russ manages a portfolio of Federal, State and local government clients around the country and is the founder of Russ Klenet & Associates, a full-service public affairs agency with locations in Florida & Washington, DC. In addition to his lobbying practice, Russ serves as a strategic business advisor and project manager to many corporate, municipal and institutional clients. Russ has developed a national reputation for assisting companies seeking to win procurements and projects from state and local governments across the country. Klenet started his long time “blue” political efforts in 1988, first as legislative staff in the Florida House of Representatives, then as a Senior Advisor to the President of the Florida Senate. He has managed many statewide and legislative races for the Florida Democratic Party and served as a strategic advisor for the campaigns of Bob Kerry and Bill Nelson and held a leading role in the 2008 Obama Campaign. A well-regarded wine collector, Russ lives in Ft. Lauderdale with his wife Stacy Ritter, a former 20-year elected official and today the President & CEO of the Greater Ft. Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau, along with their two rescued King Charles Cavaliers.
Ft. Lauderdale • Washington DC • San Juan
Mario Gonzalez-Lafuente
Mario Gonzalez-Lafuente is a Senior Advisor at Park&K and leads projects from the San Juan office. Mario advises clients in the private and public sectors in the areas of public policy, government affairs, economic development, and hotel real estate investments, with a focus on tourism and economic development.
Mario’s career includes the Metrovision Economic Development Partnership, where he worked to promote New Orleans and the River Region as an international business destination. In 2010 he was appointed Executive Director of the Puerto Rico Tourism Company and was subsequently appointed by President Barack Obama’s Administration to the U.S. Travel and Tourism Advisory Board (TTAB). While serving in TTAB, he was appointed Executive Director of the Local Redevelopment Authority for Roosevelt Roads (LRA), charged with developing and marketing one of Puerto Rico’s largest and most important opportunities of economic growth.
Mario holds a Master’s in International Management from the University of Maryland’s Graduate School of Management and Technology; a B.S. in Psychology from Louisiana State University; and a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of New Orleans. He is certified by Cornell University in Hotel Real Estate Investments and Asset Management. He splits his time between San Juan and Northern Virginia
San Juan • Washington DC
Scott Klenet
Scott Klenet is an experienced government relations and communications professional who has spent the last several years navigating the complex federal policy making process on behalf of private, non-profit, and municipal clients. Starting in 2013, Scott was a policy analyst for a New York-based Davidoff, Hutcher, and Citron, LLP where he developed a special focus on economic development, transportation and federal appropriations. In 2016 became a director at Prime Strategies, LLC. This role had him devise campaigns that combined press outreach, grassroots advocacy, and political engagement. Since 2017, Scott has served as spokesperson for clients, including for one of the nation’s fastest growing medical cannabis companies with operations in multiple states and around the world. Scott’s extensive experience in electoral politics includes engagements in Virginia, New Hampshire, and Ohio on behalf of President Obama’s 2012 Reelection; the 2014 Campaign in support of Senator Shaheen and Governor Hassan; Hillary Clinton for America in 2016; and in New Jersey for the 2018 mid-term elections. Scott is a graduate of Middlebury College where he studied international political economy and survived Middlebury‘s intensive summer Chinese immersion program. Scott lives in Washington, DC where you can often find him serving as a comfortable perch for his partner’s cat, Mulligan.
Washington DC
Ebone Bishop
Ebone Bishop is a former Corporate Attorney who focuses on corporate and non-profit strategy with a particular focus on Diversity, Equity & Inclusion. Her work in the cultural and non-profit realm is robust and includes high profile institutions in NYC including MoMa and PS1.
New York City
Ron Greenstein
Ron Greenstein has more than 25 years of experience as an elected and appointed public official at both state and municipal levels. He served as Mayor of Coconut Creek, Florida; a Florida State Legislator; and a Senior Executive Agency Administrator in Broward County, Florida. Ron was the Democratic Leader in the Florida house of Representatives from 1998-2006. His expertise in solid waste and environmental legislation in Tallahassee led to his selection as the senior executive officer of Broward County’s Waste Recovery District with oversight of more than a billion dollars of waste to energy assets. Following his departure from government service and based on his expertise with the State Budget, Ron served for many years as a special advisor to the Florida House of Representatives. Ron manages the Park&K Tallahassee office where he represents clients in Healthcare, Regulated Industries, and Education.
Tallahassee
Sara Valenzuela
Sara Valenzuela is an experienced government affairs and political consultant with a demonstrated history of success in the private and public sectors. Originally from Texas, Sara has worked on Capitol Hill and in New York City for elected officials including two New York City Council speakers, New York City and New York State Citywide office holders including the New York City Council Speaker, Manhattan Borough President, New York State Comptroller, NYC Public Advocate and Democratic members of Congress. In addition to over a decade of government relations, Sara brings experience leading outreach and engagement for national campaigns including for Secretary Hillary Clinton’s 2016 run as National Director of Latino Outreach and as a member of grassroots voter engagement support for President Barack Obama’s 2008 run in Colorado. Sara is an expert in grassroots organizing, political strategy and municipal, state and federal governmental relations. In addition to her work in external relations, Sara remains a dedicated volunteer advocate for increasing the engagement and empowerment of Latinx communities locally and nationally. She holds a BA from Vanderbilt University, is a proud Teach For America alum and a resident of the East Village.
New York City
Yuridia Peña
Yuridia Peña has a proven track-record working in the areas of public relations, crisis management, marketing, brand development and organizing. Yuridia was vice president of communications for SOMOS, a non-profit organization serving nearly 1 million Medicaid beneficiaries. Yuridia managed the execution of strategic communications, including a series of multi-million-dollar multilingual brand marketing campaigns. She began her career in the labor movement, serving in communications roles for the Council of School Supervisors and Administrators and 32BJ SEIU. Yuridia then served as the communications director for Council Member Mark Weprin, leading the public affairs efforts for the district’s progressive agenda including Participatory Budgeting and the end of stop-and-frisk policy. As deputy press secretary for the New York City Department of Education, she led media relations for the agency’s Court-Involved Youth, Pre-K for All initiative and English Language Learners as well as spearheaded the ethnic and community media strategy. As a consultant for Marathon Strategies, Yuridia developed a series of national and state media relations campaigns for C-Suite clients in the real estate, fast-casual and for-hire-vehicle industries. She is a board member of START Treatment and Recovery Centers. Yuridia holds a Master of Arts degree in Corporate Communication from CUNY Baruch and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from SUNY Purchase.
New York City
Russell Langley
Russell Langley is a 5th generation Texan with deep roots and experience in Texas politics, business and law. His practice focuses on communications, government affairs and business development. Russell specializes in helping clients take advantage of opportunities or handle crises. Langley’s clients include Election Systems and Software (ES&S), Choice Rehabilitation, Clover Health Care, and Aids Healthcare Foundation. He has also provided consulting for non-profits such as the Wilkenson Center, Equality Texas, and Arkansas Food Share Network. He has a growing practice in entertainment and communications, recently negotiating contracts on behalf of clients with The Smithsonian, Crystal Bridges Museum, and Facebook. Previous to his consulting career, Langley served as a trial attorney for the Special Prosecution Unit-Civil Division. Langley was one of the architects of the 2006 Democratic sweep of Dallas County. He has managed campaigns and party organizations for Congressman Jim Turner and Congressman Martin Frost, and consulted for numerous elected officials in North Texas such as Rep. Rafael Anchia and Sen. Wendy Davis. Russell earned his JD from the University of Texas at Austin and a Bachelor of Arts in Speech Communication from Texas A&M University, graduating Summa Cum Laude with University Foundation Honors.
Dallas
Arden Walentowski
Arden Walentowski brings more than a decade of experience working in non-profit administration, government relations and institutional policy creation to the Park&K team. She has spent time in the Office of U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, worked extensively with the Atlantic Theater Company and has held various positions on multiple city, state, and federal campaigns. She serves as an Associate at Park&K based in the NYC office and supports clients’ needs in budget advocacy, policy research and more. Arden is also a writer, former actor, and current co-host of the Let’s Get Civical podcast. She holds a BA in Political Science from Columbia University and calls Manhattan home.
New York City
Stan Adkins
Stan Adkins is a political strategist and media consultant whose experience spans nearly 40 years. He has managed multiple statewide political campaigns and developed the general strategy and paid media (TV, Radio, Direct Mail, Social Media, and Print Advertising) for statewide to municipal candidates as well as numerous referenda campaigns.
In the private sector, he has developed award-winning and successful campaigns for a wide variety of corporate and non-profit clients, including one of the largest public healthcare providers in the United States. Stan has lectured at several universities on political strategy, targeting, and messaging. He Co-Chaired the Summit of the Americas Host Committee for Press Relations and served as Vice Chair of the Florida Department of Agriculture’s International Trade Advisory Committee. He was also a member of the State of Florida’s Privacy and Technology Task Force and a panelist on the Pew Charitable Trust’s forum on Ethics and Elections.
Coral Gables • San Juan
Oscar Lievano
Oscar Lievano is a creative director who brings more than 35 years of advertising and marketing experience to the team. Oscar began his career in an in-house agency, followed by an architectural design firm. Oscar has also supervised a creative team of designers for one of the largest advertising firms in South Florida. His portfolio includes a very broad spectrum of clients that range from real estate, healthcare and hospitality to politics and financial institutions. His portfolio also includes a national launch for a brand of household cleaning and disinfecting products. This launch culminated with a 30-second TV spot featured during the 2006 Super Bowl. Oscar’s years of experience and creative abilities have been rewarded with numerous design awards. He is conversant in Spanish.
Coral Gables
Park&K Contacts
New York City
11 Park Place
3rd Floor
New York, NY 10007
718.915.6302
District of Columbia
1301 K Street
Washington, DC 20071
563.343.2281
Tallahassee, FL
113 East College #312
Tallahassee, FL 32301
954.610.7745
Austin, TX
1122 Colorado #102
Austin, TX 78701
214.202.9493
Fort Lauderdale, FL
954.684.9255
Puerto Rico
Metro Park Office 7, C. 1
Suite 204
San Juan 00986 PR
787.509.9629
718.915.6302
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